


Sleepy Domain

by EverythingIsNumbers



Category: Sleepless Domain (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Magical Girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-30 19:10:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19409584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverythingIsNumbers/pseuds/EverythingIsNumbers
Summary: Undine is still exhausted from the night she dealt the finishing blow to the eye-monster. Heartful Punch invites her over as an alternative to a long trek home.





	Sleepy Domain

“There’s the 2am announcements.” Undine said with a yawn. “At least it was a quiet night.”

Kokoro nodded.

“Most nights are quiet compared to the last one.”

“Now we just gotta get home.”

Kokoro turned as she heard another yawn. Undine was standing with her eyes closed, looking as though she was going to pass out on the spot.

“Woah now, I thought you said it was almost impossible for you to be any more rested.” Kokoro held Undine’s shoulders to stop the swaying.

“I’ll be fine once I get home.” She said this without opening her eyes.

“Where do you live?”

“Um. Southside. Four stops from Future’s Promise”

“Okay, that is _far_. You barely look like you can walk.” 

“I’ll be fine.”

Kokoro frowned. 

“Not that I don’t trust you,” she said slowly, “but I’m going with you just to be safe.”

“Noooooooo.” Undine said.

“You’re not helping your case. I can carry you back. That’s your other option.”

Undine took a deep breath, pulled Kokoro’s hands off her shoulders and shook her head. Then she clapped her hands on her cheeks a couple times and opened her eyes.

“I can get back myself. Just gotta use the water. Skate on home.”

Kokoro grabbed her by the arm.

“I’m not letting you go back alone. What if you collapse? What if you pass out at high speed?”

“I’m _not_ going to collapse. I told you I’m fine.”

She turned back to Kokoro, who looked utterly unconvinced. Undine knew it would be pointless to argue, but she couldn’t let Kokoro escort her home. Then they would both be losing sleep, and she’d just be a burden on her friend again.

“Um, what are my options again?” She asked, suddenly weary of the whole ordeal.

Kokoro counted on her fingers.

“You can let me escort you home, you can let me carry you home,”

She stopped.

“Or?” Undine said. Kokoro froze.

“Or… or nothing. Those are your two options.”

Undine blinked.

“But you started counting on your fingers.”

“I’m… not good at counting.” She lowered her hand.

“You definitely ended your sentence with a comma.”

“I’m not good with grammar either.”

“HP?”

Kokoro gave her a guilty smile.

“Yes?”

“What’s the third option?”

* * *

The two of them startled Kokoro’s RA as they walked into her residence building.

“Heartful Punch? This is the first time you’ve been early I think… ever. What’s wrong? Who’s this?”

“Heeeeey, Snoozy.” Kokoro scratched her head nervously. “This is Undine. She’s all burnt out from fighting, so she’s gonna crash here tonight.”

Suzy stared at them both pensively.

“If… if that’s not okay...” Undine began, sheepishly.

“No, no, it’s fine. If you’re getting _her_ to come back on time, I think that means we’re friends. I might actually be able to get to bed at a reasonable hour.”

“Suzy, you can go to bed without waiting for me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Good night.”

Suzy made a quick note on her tablet and left, but not without shooting Kokoro a knowing look. Kokoro did her best to pretend she didn’t notice.

With a bit of haste, she led the way into her dorm, closed the door, and leaned on it. She took a deep breath, and Undine caught a troubled expression before she covered it up with a nervous smile.

“You okay?” Undine tried. She stifled a yawn.

“I’m… hey, why are you still powered up? It takes energy to stay in magical girl form, you know. You’re gonna burn yourself out.”

Undine blinked and looked down at herself. Wordlessly, she reversed the transformation, and felt some of the fatigue lift off her. It was like sitting down after a long day of walking.

“Oh.” She said. “I’m not as tired as I thought.”

“If you’re tired when you’re transformed that still means you need to rest.”

“I know, I know. Was your floor manager mad at you? Are you usually late getting home?”

“It’s too late for you to interrogate me.” Kokoro said, waving a finger. She kicked off her shoes and sauntered to her dresser, where she started rifling through clothing, tossing articles aside and generally making a mess.

“Hang on,” Kokoro said, “I’m just trying to find something clean that you can sleep in.”

“Um, okay.” Undine said, trying not to think too hard about things. She took the opportunity to let her eyes wander.

Student dorms at the school were surprisingly nice. Kokoro had it all - a kitchenette with a mini fridge, an ensuite bathroom, enough space to pile a bunch of exercise equipment and cardboard boxes, and a litterbox.

Undine turned to see herself being studied by a rather blocky looking calico cat. It was posing regally and regarding her with detachment. When they made eye contact, it meowed. Well, more like it _mow_ ed. It was closer to a moo than a meow.

Kokoro stopped rummaging for a second to look over her shoulder.

“Oh, right, I have a cat. Her name is Kicks. I hope that’s okay. I’m sorry, I didn’t ask if you have allergies or anything.”

Undine was already crouched down stroking the cat’s head.

“I think she likes me” Undine said.

“Don’t let her fool you, she’ll be friendly to anyone she thinks is capable of feeding her.” She turned and held up a t-shirt, a pair of workout shorts, and an inquisitive expression. It took Undine a moment to piece together what she was asking.

“Oh. They don’t look like they _won’t_ fit.” Undine said.

“Perfect. The bathroom’s over there.” Kokoro tossed her the clothes and turned back to pick something out for herself, but mostly to look busy until she heard the latch of the bathroom door.

She shoulder-checked to make sure it was really closed, and then took several deep breaths. Why on earth had she invited Undine to stay the night? She was supposed to have a _filter._ She wasn’t supposed to make questionable suggestions. Especially when she was this ill-prepared to have guests. Her room was a mess.

Kokoro shook her head. She tried to tell herself that she was here now, and there was really no helping that. Shoving the thoughts out of her mind, she grabbed a spare tank top, rummaged for a couple pairs of shorts. Then she started changing hastily.

The bathroom door opened before she was finished.

“One sec!” She said, turning reflexively away from the door, hopping away and clutching the tank top to her chest. Undine made a small noise, and the door slammed shut. Trying not to let the heat rise to her face, Kokoro hastily pulled the rest of her clothes on, ignoring the voice in her head telling her this was a terrible situation.

“Okay! We’re good, you can come out now.”

The door opened, slower this time. Undine was looking anywhere but at Kokoro.

“S-sorry” she said. “I should have knocked.”

“Ah, no, that’s my bad, I shoulda said something.”

There was an uncomfortable silence. Kokoro gulped and glanced at Undine, who shifted self-consciously, tugging at the hem of her shirt. It was hard not to be aware of her every movement. After all, she was here, in her dorm, wearing her clothes. Kokoro’s heart wouldn’t stop pounding.

Still, despite the embarrassment that was clear on her face, Undine looked ready to pass out from exhaustion. 

“So…” Undine said. “Now what?”

“Now...” Kokoro glanced at the solitary twin-sized bed that occupied the place, and swallowed. “Now go to bed.”

Undine’s expression was a knot of anxiety and embarrassment, but she abided. Sheepishly and awkwardly, she crawled into the bed, pulled the covers up to her chin, and watched Kokoro.

“Right, yeah, okay, cool,” Kokoro said, “let me get the futon.” She walked briskly into the other room, which was actually a closet. A little bit of the tension abated as she said this. Undine was probably relieved that they wouldn’t be sharing a bed.

As it stood, Kokoro did not own a futon. When she came out, she had found only a blanket and an extra throw pillow. The only light in the room came from the bedside lamp, so she did the best she could to hide her sleeping arrangements. It wasn’t hard, Undine was staring at the ceiling, looking like she was dozing off in spite of herself.

Kicks had sensed something was out of the ordinary, and in silent defiance decided to sleep in a cardboard box on the other side of the room, rather than her usual spot at the foot of the bed. Wise cat, thought Kokoro. No sense adding to the chaos.

Kokoro arranged her blanket and pillow on the floor by the bed, trying to wrap herself up so that the dorm-carpet didn’t scratch too much. It wasn’t comfortable by any measure, but that was alright.

“Okay, good night.” She said. She heard shuffling as Undine leaned over to turn off the light. Their eyes met for a second.

“Kokoro.” Undine said, staring down at Kokoro lying on the floor under a blanket that wasn’t quite long enough to cover her feet. Kokoro tried to play it off with a guilty smile.

“Yes?”

“That’s not a futon.”

“No… no it’s not.”

Kokoro’s heart sank as Undine pulled herself upright again and tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. _She should be sleeping,_ Kokoro thought. _I’m costing her sleep._

“I’m sorry. I didn’t plan this very well” She said.

Undine hesitated a moment. Then she shuffled away from the side of the bed, pulled a section of the covers back, and beckoned for Kokoro to join her. She was staring at her lap.

Kokoro’s throat tightened. This was it, they were going to sleep together. Would either of them even be able to sleep? It had to be such an uncomfortable situation for Undine.

She should have just carried her back home to begin with. No arguing, no third option. There should never have been a third option.

Kokoro tried her best to smile. She tried to find words to convincingly tell Undine that she would rather sleep on the floor. The words weren’t there.

“Are you sure?” Was all that came out.

Undine swallowed and did her best to make eye contact.

“I’m sure.” And then “Jeez, can you stop standing there and just get in? You’re making me really nervous.”

 _That makes two of us,_ she thought. Gingerly, she obeyed. Undine had given her as much room as possible, but it was still difficult to get in without invading her personal space. She pulled the covers up over herself, not daring to move any more, and apologized again.

That was fine, right? That was how you shared a bed with someone when there was no other choice, right?

“Oh!” Undine exclaimed. Kokoro flinched.

“What? What is it?”

“My parents! I need to let them know where I am.” Undine was already reaching for her phone, which was on the bedside table. This involved crawling over Kokoro. She laid wide-eyed as one of Undine’s arms braced itself beside her head, and the t-shirt she was wearing hung down and brushed against her face. She could feel Undine’s thigh against her side, could even smell her. 

She smelled like rain.

“Sorry” Undine said, leaning back so she was sitting up on her knees, fumbling with her phone. “I’ll just tell them I’m okay and patrol ended far away from home so I’m staying with a friend.”

“O-okay.” Kokoro said, frazzled from the contact. She wondered if Undine could hear her heartbeat.

“Done. Alright, sorry. I’m gonna turn my phone off now.”

She should have been ready for another lean-over as Undine put it back on the bedside table. But this time, the lunge put her off-balance, and she swayed forward, catching herself by planting one hand by Kokoro’s face, the other on her forearm. Her body smushed into Kokoro for a second before she pulled herself off. Kokoro cast an involuntary glance upwards and saw Undine from a new angle, looking down on her with a mishmash of embarrassment and concern.

“I… I’m really sorry. I’ll stop moving around and let you sleep now.”

“Nononono, that was important.” Kokoro was beginning to shake. Undine disentangled herself and laid down again, but the bed was small enough that there was very little space between them. Kokoro could feel the warmth next to her. Could hear her breathing.

She reached over and turned the light out.

“Night Undine.”

“Good night.”

And then they were in darkness. Kokoro forced herself to sit motionless, to clear her mind, but it found it difficult. Meanwhile, Undine’s breathing began to fall into a slow rhythm. If she had similar anxieties, she was too tired to let them interfere with a night’s rest.

That was good. A sense of relief washed over Kokoro as she lay in the dark and listened. All she had to do now was be quiet and sit still, and at least one of them would sleep easy that night.

And it was sort of nice, she thought. Having Undine sleep next to her. Less stressful now that she didn’t need to worry about giving the wrong impression, explaining herself, trying to keep her distance, et cetera. She could just be there next to her, without any chance of misunderstandings.

A thought crept into her brain. She tended to thrash around in her sleep. What would she do if she ended up touching Undine? Or worse, hitting her? Maybe it would be better if she did sneak out of the bed and sleep on the floor. She could give the excuse that she just rolled off in her sleep. That might work.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shuffling of the covers next to her. Did Undine wake up already? It didn’t sound like it. Her motions had the cadence and calmness of a sleeper. Kokoro listened intently, felt Undine roll over, and stiffened when she felt her brush against her back.

Undine’s arms were folded, but her forehead was gently pressed against the back of Kokoro’s neck. Their legs were touching, and the bed was gradually warming up. It wasn’t an indecent amount of contact, but it was more than Kokoro was ready for. Moving was no longer an option, it seemed.

She would just have to sit still and not think about things like how cute Undine looked wearing her oversized workout clothes, or how much skin-to-skin contact was happening right now, or how every time Undine shifted in her sleep, she seemed to shift just a little bit closer.

How did this even happen? It was only a few nights ago that she flew solo, responsible for nobody but herself. That was so simple. She saved people, killed monsters, trained hard, and watched her own back. It was dangerous, she knew that. Her life was at risk, she knew that too.

But she sort of accepted that. If she died, she wouldn’t leave a broken team behind. She didn’t have much family she was close to, either. Death was little more than another logical stopping point for her magical girl career.

But she all too clearly remembered the expression on Undine’s face after she had been saved. It made her realize, more clearly than any monster of the sleepless night could, that she had nearly died. Flying solo as she had, she rarely gave any thought to her own death. Some nights she would have even welcomed it.

Kokoro sniffled. She realized that she was crying and tried to take deep breaths.

Last night she almost died. She almost traumatized Undine and left her alone again. She almost vanished, ceased to exist. The only reason she was still breathing was because Undine had so adamantly fought for her. She almost _died._

And had she died, Undine would have been the one to suffer. But somehow things hadn’t gone wrong, and now she was sleeping next to her, sharing this peace and warmth and love that Kokoro definitely didn’t deserve.

She heard stirring behind her and held her breath. The last thing she wanted was to wake Undine up.

But it was too late.

“Kokoro?” The cadence of her voice was already heavy with sleep. 

Kokoro’s hands were clasped over her mouth. Her response was a whimper.

“Are you okay?” Undine leaned over her, trying to get a look at her face. Kokoro turned her head into the pillow as Undine’s hand touched her shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m here, what’s wrong?”

Kokoro wanted to pass out. She wanted to disappear. It was difficult to speak. But Undine seemed uncannily able to read her.

“Is this about last night?” She asked. After a long pause, Kokoro nodded into the pillow. Undine’s hand started to gently rub her back as she sidled closer. It was more skin-to-skin contact. More of this affection that she didn’t deserve. 

“I almost died.” She said between breaths, finally giving voice to the words in her head. “I almost _died_ and so did you.”

Undine responded by laying down next to Kokoro. She worked a hand underneath her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Neither of us are dead.” She said, her voice still heavy with sleep. “And... you have no idea how glad I am that I met you that night. And that we’re both still here.”

With some deliberation, Kokoro shuffled around and returned the embrace. She rested her face against Undine’s shoulder, hiding her reddened face in the curls of Undine’s hair. It seemed like the right thing to do. At a loss for words, she squeezed. Hard.

“A-ack!” Undine said, her voice suddenly strained with surprise. “Too tight!”

Kokoro released her immediately.

“Sorry. God, I’m so sorry.” Her face was still hot with tears, and now it was hot with self-loathing as well.

“It’s okay, you just surprised me, that’s all.” She began stroking Kokoro’s back again. “You’re too strong for your own good, I think.”

Kokoro managed a grim smile.

“We should really sleep.” She said, and let go of the embrace. Or at least attempted to.

With a yawn, Undine grabbed one of Kokoro’s arms and began to squirm her way into a better position. Before long, she was curled up with her back firmly pressed against Kokoro, hugging one of her arms to her chest.

“H-hey.” Kokoro said, unsure of how she felt about suddenly being the big spoon. Undine was busy nestling herself up against her.

“Mm?”

Again, words failed her. She wanted to say that this wasn’t her intent from the start, or that she was sorry for everything that she was putting Undine through, or just that she meant a lot to her and she didn’t want to impose like this or ruin whatever they had.

“Are you… um. Comfortable?” Was what she said instead.

“Cuddle up more,” Undine said, “then I’ll be comfortable.”

* * *

The glare of light through barely-closed blinds was what woke Kokoro from a dreamless sleep. She blinked a couple times and took stock of her surroundings. She was lying on her back now, starfished out on the bed as she was usually in the mornings. But there was one key difference.

Undine was half-laying on her, nestled in the crook of her arm. Her head was resting on Kokoro’s chest, and she was embracing her loosely with an arm and a leg. From Kokoro’s vantage point, she couldn’t see Undine’s face, only an impressive cloud of bedhead. The room was illuminated in the warm glow of the morning, but the night’s chill still hadn’t left the room. Under the blankets, however, everything was comfortable and warm. If she craned her neck, she could spot Kicks curled up at their feet.

Kokoro yawned, and Undine pushed herself up, startled.

“Ahh, I’m sorry!” She said. “When I woke up I was lying on you like this and I didn’t want to move because I didn’t want to wake you up so I just laid down for a while.”

“Shh.” Kokoro said. “Be quiet for my morning brain.”

“S-sorry.”

The relatively filterless, exhausted Undine of last night was gone. Kokoro watched her fidget, hovering over her and trying to decide whether or not she should settle back down.

Kokoro put her arm around Undine and guided her back so she was laying against her. She made an effort to embrace her gently this time. Undine’s face was a knot of embarrassment.

“Are... you feeling any better?” She asked Kokoro.

“Yeah. I think so. I don’t know. It’s hard to tell.”

Undine waited for her to continue.

“I mean, this is nice.” Kokoro said, squeezing Undine briefly. ”But I think I probably made your parents worry. Probably made things way too complicated. Not to mention I took you home to let you rest, and then kept you up by having a meltdown.” She leaned back, put a hand over her eyes, and took a deep breath.

“That’s okay.” Undine said hurriedly. “I mean… it’s better than you having to go through it alone, right?”

“I... guess.” Kokoro sighed. “Is this what you did when you were on a team? Just support each other like this?”

“Sometimes.” Undine said remorsefully. “Not as much towards the end.” Then she quickly clarified: “O-oh. I assume you meant just the support. Like, with words. We never slept together, I don’t think.”

Kokoro said nothing. She hugged Undine again instead. After a pause, Undine responded by nuzzling against her affectionately.

“What time is it?” She asked.

“Just past nine-thirty I think.”

“Oh, good. We have plenty of time, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sleepless Domain is about child soldiers fighting cosmic horrors. It's a good story.


End file.
